2 hours til I'm up THAT creek...

Drunkenmassacre

Drunkenmassacre

Drunkenmassacre

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9 Jul 2009
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Moray, Scotland
OK, I've just been and cleaned my mums P4 computer, and although its an old system, it still does for what she needs. After cleaning out the cooler and rearranging the wiring, I've put it all back and it's fine, with one slight problem. The fan is no longer spinning at stupid revs to cool the cpu, but the monitor isn't picking it up anymore.

Ive tried reseating the graphics card (an old x300SE) and rebooting the computer to try and get it going. Tried compressed air to clean out the pci slot, still no good. Anyone got any ideas?

I need to get this sorted before they get back home, in about 2 hours.

HELP!!!


I bet it's something really simple, but I'm just being thick. :)
 
First of all. HaHa!

I'm only joking. First make sure you connected the CPU 4-pin connector. It's right next to the cpu.

Failing that, take a photo of the inside and post it.
 
I've checked the connections on everything, doesn't seem to be a loose one. Like I say, everything else in it seems to be running ok, i.e. the hdds are spinning up, the cpu fan is running and the dvd drives are ok, just the graphics.
 
gv_of_e said:
I've checked the connections on everything, doesn't seem to be a loose one. Like I say, everything else in it seems to be running ok, i.e. the hdds are spinning up, the cpu fan is running and the dvd drives are ok, just the graphics.
Click to expand...

Just because everything spins up, powers on etc... doesn't mean that it's all alright. This is the case if you don't connect the 4-pin cpu connector, everything still spins up but doesn't POST.

Disconnect everything including the hard drives, cd drives, pci cards etc. Leave only the cpu, mobo and graphics (should be on board gpu) Leave one stick of RAM in DIMM 1. Try powering it on.
 
Do you have a spare video card?

Oh and man up FFS! You we're trying to help, just come clean that the pc is not working since you were at it. Not like she caught you in her undies is it? :p
 
I had this issue once, everything spinning etc. It was the motherboard that had gone... I know it's unlikely but maybe static damage? Did you earth yourself occasionally whilst you were cleaning it out?
 
OK, I think it's sorted... I think one of the RAM sticks wasn't seated properly.... I said it would be something really simple :P

Oh, and Brennen, that sounds like the voice of experience talking there... What was your mum's reaction when she caught you in her undies?
 
gv_of_e said:
OK, I think it's sorted... I think one of the RAM sticks wasn't seated properly.... I said it would be something really simple :P

Oh, and Brennen, that sounds like the voice of experience talking there... What was your mum's reaction when she caught you in her undies?
Click to expand...

You think it's sorted? :confused:

Even if one of them wasn't installed correctly the system would still have POSTED.

Strange
 
We'll i've got a picture on the screen now, which is a lot more than I did have. It's starting up as I type, and it's reached the welcome screen, so *touch wood* I beilieve it's sorted.

The only thing that leads me to think it was the RAM was that it was the last thing I checked, but that doesn't mean I didnt knock something whilst playing around inside.

Thanks guys for the help, if I have anymore problems, I'll be in touch :P
 
gv_of_e said:
Oh, and Brennen, that sounds like the voice of experience talking there... What was your mum's reaction when she caught you in her undies?
Click to expand...

No, figure of speech smartarse :p

Anyway, I am glad it's sorted. You'll get that fishfinger sandwich afterall
 
Buchanan0204 said:
You think it's sorted? :confused:

Even if one of them wasn't installed correctly the system would still have POSTED.

Strange
Click to expand...

Even if one stick was in correctly, if the other stick wasn't in properly it might have still been in enough to partially register and then fault, preventing POSTing.
 
Buchanan0204 said:
You think it's sorted? :confused:

Even if one of them wasn't installed correctly the system would still have POSTED.

Strange
Click to expand...

if the motherboard detects an incorrectly inserted DIMM it halts the boot process, even before the system starts to post.

many a computer i've been building has just spontaneously failed until i saw a DIMM not correctly seated.
 
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